Speed-controlling mechanism for load-lifting devices



F. L. GORMLEY.

SPEED CONTROLLING MECHANISM FOR LOAD LIFTING DEVICES. APPLICATION FILEDJULY 6, 1920.

1,383,199. PatentedJune-28, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

/// &///// iv/l Inveninr: Bank L Gormle y,

$3 v/lliy.

F. L. GORMLEY.

SPEED CONTROLLING MECHANISM FOR LOAD LIFTING DEVICES. APPLICATION FILEDJULY 6, 1920.

Patented J 11116 28, 192 L 3 SHEETS-SHEET 7.-

Inventor.- I'rank L.Gormle y,

by QI /Q k@,

F. L. GORMLEY. W SPEED CONTROLLING MECHANISM FOR LOAD LIFTING DEVICES.

APPLICATEON FILED JULY 6, 1920.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3- Patented June 28, 1921.

Fig.6.

Frank L. Gormlc UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK L. GORMLEY, OF BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS.

SPEEDCONTROLLING MECHANISM FOR LOAD-LIFTING- DEVICES.

Application filed July 6,

To all whom it may con/rem Be it known that I, FRANK L. GoRMLnY, acitizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Brookline, inthe county of Norfolk and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Speed-Controlling Mechanism forLoad-Lifting Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to speed controlling mechanism for load liftingdevices such high speed screw jacks adapted to run down under the loadand the object of the present invention is to provide means of a simplecharacter which will effectually prevent the load being lowered toorapidly thus obviating accidents, jarring of the load and injury to thedevice itself.

The invention consists primarily of means for braking the operatingmechanism sufiiciently to sustain the lifted load and providingadditional frictional means for controlling the speed of the loweringwhich means will become operative when the braking means becomeinoperative.

The invention further consists in certain novel features of constructionand arrangement of parts which will be understood readily by referenceto the description of the drawings and to the claims to be hereinaftergiven.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention, one preferred formthereof is illustrated in the drawings, this form having been found togive satisfactory and reliable results although it is to be understoodthat the various instrumentalitios of which the invention consists canbe variously arranged and organized and the invention is not limited tothe precise arrangement and organization of these instrumentalities asherein shown and described, except as required by the scope of theappended claims.

Of the drawings:

Fi ure 1 represents a horizontal section of a ifting jack embodying thefeatures of the present invention, the cutting plane being on line 1, 1,on Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 represents a vertical section of the same on line 2, 2, on Fig.1.

Fig. 3 represents an elevation of the cover plate with the variousactuating devices se- Specificauion of Letters Patent.

1920. Serial No. 394,358.

cured thereto, the operating shaft being cut in section.

Fig. 4 represents a horizontal section of the same on line 4, 4;, onFig. 3.

Fig. 5 represents a vertical section on line 5, 5, on Fig. 4 showing thegovernor or speed retarding mechanism.

Fig. 6 represents an elevation of the same with a portion thereof brokenaway and showing the manually controlled brake mechanism.

Fig. 7 represents a section of the speed retarding device on line 7, 7,on Fig. 5.

Fig. 8 represents an elevation of the retarding device disk with one ofthe friction members thereon.

Fig. 9 represents an edge view of the retarding device disk, and

Fig. 10 represents an elevation ofdevice for controlling the action ofthe brake mechanism and said retarding device.

Similar characters indicate like parts throughout the several figures ofthe drawings.

In the drawings, 10 represents a suitable base supporting a stationarystandard 11 over the outer periphery of which is fitted a movable sleeve12, to the upper end of which is threaded a cap 13.

In the upper end of the standard 11 is mounted a nut 14 to which isthreaded a lifting screw 15 having splined to its upper reduced end abevel gear 16 with which meshes a bevel gear 17 formed upon or securedto a revoluble shaft or s indle 18, the outer end of which is providewith a suitable operating mechanism 19 of any well known construction.

Between the upper face of the bevel gear 16 and the inner face of thecap 13 are two annular plates 20, 21, between which are interposed aplurality of anti-friction members 22.

The movable member 12 is provided on one side with a flanged projection2 1 having a removable plate 25 secured thereto by bolt 25*.

The plate 25 is provided with a bearing 26 for the spindle or shaft 18and secured to the hub of the gear 17 is a ratchet wheel 27.

The bearing 26 extends through a cylin- Patented June 28, 1921.

drical boss 28 on the inner face of the plate 25 and on this boss 28 isloosely mounted the gear wheel 29 having secured to one face thereof aplurality of pawls 30 coacting with said ratchet wheel 27.

The gear 29. is provided with a plurality of projections 31 to the outerends of which is secured a ring 32 between which and said gear the pawls30 are positioned.

From the back of the free end of each pawl30 extends a lug 33 on whichis disposed a helical spring 34 the outer end of which bears against oneof the projections 31 and retains said pawls 30 in engagement with saidratchet wheel 27 under normal conditions.

Beneath the gear wheel 29 is a revoluble shaft 35 having secured theretoa pinion 36 meshing with said gear 29 and. driven thereby when themovable member 12 of the jack is being lowered.

The shaft 35 has also secured thereto a worm wheel 37 which meshes witha worm 38 revoluble in bearings 39 in the bracket 40 secured to theinner face of the removable plate 25 by screws 40*.

To the reduced end 41 of the worm 38 is secured a brake disk 42 with theperiphery of which coacttwo brake members 43 pivoted at 44 tothe-bracket 40.

The lower end of each brake member 43 is provided with a recess 45 inwhich is positioned one end of a helical spring 46 the opposite ends ofsaid springs being disposed in the recesses 47 and 48 in the removableplate 25 and bracket 40.

-Between the lower adjacent ends of the brake members 43 is positioned aflat sided projection 49 formed upon the actuating lever 50.

A portion of the flat sided projection 49 is cylindrical and positionedin a cylindrical hole in the flange of the removable plate 25.

The springs 46 normally retain the brake members'in contact with theperiphery of the disk 42 and prevent its rotation until theactuatinglever 50 is moved to cause said flat'sided projection 49 toseparate said brake members 43 and remove them from contact with thedisk 42.

The worm 38 is provided at its opposite end with a reduced end 51 towhich is secured a disk 52 having diametral slots 53 formed in its innerface in each of which slots 53 is disposed the rib 53 of a slidablemember 54 the outer end of which has a broad bearing flange 55 the outerface of which is curved to fit the cylindrical wall 56 of a chamberformed in the bracket 40.

Each rib 53 is provided with an open ended groove 63 into the outer endof which extends a projection 64 on the disk 52.

Between the end wall of the groove 63 and said projection 64 is disposeda helical spring 65 which normally retains the bearwall 56.

The removable cover plate 25 is provided with semi-cylindrical recesses67, 68 into which portions of the speed retarding device and brakemechanism project.

When the cover plate 25 is removed from the flanged projection 24 all ofthe devices for controlling the lowering of the movable member 12 areremoved therewith.

The worm shaft 71 has a reduced end 72 mounted in a bearing in themember 25 and consisting in part of a plurality of antifriction membersadapted to take care of the end thrust of the worm 38 during thelowering of the jack.

The pitch of the worm 38 is such that during the rotation of the wormgear 37 rotary movement will be imparted to the shaft '71 and the disks.42, 52.

When the brake members 43 are removed from the brake disk 42, the jackis free to lower under its load.

In order to prevent the movable member of the jack lowering at anexcessive speed under the weight of the load superimposed on the cap 13,a manually controlled retarding device is provided.

This retarding device consists of a collar 75 slidably mounted on theworm shaft 71 and having a cone-shaped end 76 coacting with the inclinedsurfaces 77 on the inner ends of the slidable members 54.

These members 54 are retained in position by means of plates 7 8 securedby screws 79 to one face of the disk 52.

The member 7 5 is provided with an annular groove 80 into which extendsan arm 81 secured to a rod 82 slidably mounted in bearings in the cover25.

The outer end of the rod 82 is rounded as indicated at 83 and bearsagainst an inclined surface 84 formed upon an ear 85 extending laterallyfrom the actuating lever 50.

The arm 81 has secured thereto, a spring 86 which tends to retain therod 82 in the position indicated in Fig.4 of the draw- Vhen theactuating lever 50 is moved in the direction of the arrow a'on Fig. 10of the drawings, the inclined surface 84coacting with the curved end 83of the rod 82 will force said rod inwardly against the tension of thespring 86 and cause the slidable member 75 to be moved toward the disk52, the cone-shaped end of said slidable member coacting with thesurfaces 77 on the slidable members 54, forcing said members 54outwardly, and causing the shoes 55 thereof to frictionally contact withthe fixed ring 56 and retard the rotation of the worm shaft 38.

It is obvious that this retarding of the worm shaft 38 will prevent theload lowerin too rapidly.

It is self-evident that the operator may by manipulating the actuatinglever 50, press the shoes 55 into any degree of frictional contact withthe fixed ring 56.

This actuating lever 50 when in its normal position as shown in Fig. 10of the drawings, retains the cam member 49 in position to permit thebrake levers 43 to coact with the brake wheel 42 and lock the operatingparts of the jack to prevent the lowering of the load.

As soon, however, as the actuating lever is moved from its normalposition in the direction of the arrow a on Fig. 10 of the drawings, thebrake levers 43 will be removed from the brake wheel 42 andsimultaneously the inclined surface 84 coacting with the rod 83 willplace the slidable member 7 5 in commission.

In other words, as .soon as the manually controlled brake is placed outof commission, l,

rotating-said shaft at a high speed only durthe retarding device willimmediately be placed in commission and the speed of lowering of theload may be nicely regulated by slightly varying the angle of theactuating lever 50.

When pressure is released from the actuating lever 50, the springs 46will force the brake members 43 into contact with the periphery of thedisk 42 and prevent further lowering of the lVhen it is desired to raisethe movable member 12, the operating mechanism. 19 is manipulated toturn the spindle 18 and gear 17 formed thereon in the direction of thearrow 6 on Fig. 3 of the drawings.

When this is done the ratchet 27 will freely pass the pawls 30 withoutactuating the spur gear 29.

While lifting the load the operating mechanism will. act directly uponthe movable member 12 through the gears 17 and 16 and screw 15 withoutaffecting the speed retarding and braking devices.

When the weight has been lifted sufiiciently, it will be retained in itselevated position by means of the friction members 43 coacting with thebrake disk 42 and preventing the rotation of the worm 38.

When it is desired to lower the load supported by the movable member 12,the friction members 43 are removed from contact with the disk or wheel42 by pressing upon the arm or lever 50 and with the pawls 30 inengagement with the teeth of the ratchet 27, the gear 29, pinion 36,worm wheel 37 and worm 38 will be driven by the rotation of the gear 17and its spindle 18.

The pitch of the worm thread is such as to permit the jack to startautomatically to descend under its-own load when its brake is released.

Should an excessive load be upon the cap 13 so that member 12 movesdownwardly too rapidly, its movement willbe arrested by the action ofthe retarding device.

If it is desired to entirely stop the lowering of the load, pressure isremoved from the actuating lever 50 and the brake members 43 will beforced into contact with the disk 42.

The multiplication of the braking power through the high ratio gearingand through the worm and worm wheel will serve to make possible thequick and easy stoppage of the descending jack at any point by means ofa light pressure ofthe brake.

It is believed that the operation and many advantages of the inventlonwill be readily understood without further description. I

Having thus I, described my invention, I claiml 1. In a device of theclass described, the combination with a movable load-supporting memberhaving a revoluble. shaft; means for ing the lowering of saidload-supporting member; afixed cylinder; a disk therein rotatable withsaid shaft; a slidable friction shoe on said disk; and amanuallycontrolled movable member for forcing said shoe into contactwith said fixed cylinder.

, 2. In a device of the class described, the combination with a movableload-supporting member having a revoluble shaft; means for rotating saidshaft at a high speed only during the lowering of said load-supportingmember; a fixed cylinder; a disk therein rotatable with said shaft; aslidable friction shoe on said disk; and a movable coneshaped member forforcing said shoe into contact with said fixed cylinder.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination with a movableload-supporting member having a revoluble shaft; means for rotating saidshaft at a high speed only during the lowering of said load-supportingmember; a fixed cylinder; a disk therein rotatable with'said shaft; aslidable friction shoe on said disk; and a manually controlled movablemember having an inclined wall adapted to force said shoe into contactwith said fixed cylinder.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination with a movableload-supporting member having a revoluble shaft; means for rotating saidshaft at a high speed only during the lowering of said load-supportingmember; a fixed cylinder; a disk therein rotatable with said shaft; aslidable friction shoe on said disk; means for normally retaining saidshoe free from contact with said cylinder: and a manually controlledmovable member for forcing said shoe into frictional contact with thecylinder wall.

5. In a device of the class described, the p combination with a movableload-supporting member having a revoluble shaft; means for rotating saidshaft at a high speed only during the lowering of said load-support--disk; and means operable by the movement of said cam member for forcingsaid shoes into frictional contact with the wall of said cylinder.

6. In a device of the class described, the combination with a movableload-supporting member having a revoluble shaft; means for rotating saidshaft at a high speed only during the lowering of said load-supportingmember; a fixed cylinder; a disk within said cylinder rotatable withsaid shaft; a brake wheel also rotatable with said shaft; brake armscoacting with said wheel; acam member for separating said arms fromcontact with said wheel; shoes slidable on said disk; a movable memberadapted to force said shoes into frictional contact' with the wall ofsaid cylinder a reciprocating member for actuating said movablemember; aspring for moving said reciprocating member in one direction; and acam-actuating lever provided with means for moving said reciproeatingmember in the opposite direction.

7. In a device of the class described, the combination with a movableload-supporting member havin a revoluble shaft; means for rotating saids aft at a high speed only during the lowering of said load-supportingmember; a fixed cylinder; a disk within said cylinder rotatable withsaid shaft; a brake wheel also rotatable with said shaft; brake armscoacting with said wheel; a cam member for separating said arms fromcontact with said wheel; shoes slidable on said disk; a movable memberadapted to force said shoes into frictional contact with the wall ofsaid cylinder; a reciprocating member for actuating said movable member;a spring for moving said reciprocating memher in one direction; and acam-actuating lever provided with a inclined surface bearing against anend of said reciprocating member and adapted to move it in the oppositedirection.

.8. In a device of the class described, the combination with a movableload-supporting member having a revoluble shaft; means for rotating saidshaft" at a high speed only during the lowering of said load-supportingmember; a fixed cylinder; a disk therein rotatable with said shaft; afriction shoe slidably mounted on said disk; a cone-shaped memberrevoluble with said shaft and slidable lengthwise thereof; and means formoving said cone-shaped member toward said disk and forcing said shoeinto frictional contact with the wall of said cylinder.

9. In a deviceof the class described, the combination Witha movableload-supporting member having a revoluble shaft; means for rotating saidshaft at a high speed only during the lowering of said load-supportingmember; a fixed cylinder; a disk therein rotatable with said shaft; afriction shoe slidably mounted onsaid disk; a cone-shaped memberrevoluble with said shaft and slidable lengthwise thereof, saidcone-shaped.

member having ahub provided with an annular groove; and means engagingsaid annular groove for moving said cone-shaped member toward said diskand forcing said shoe into frictional contact with the wall of I saidcylinder.

10. In a device of the class described, the combination with a movableload-supporting member having a revoluble shaft; means for rotating saidshaft at a high speed only during the lowering of said load-supporting

